Art History: Advanced Topics

Period & Regional Specializations

Deep dives into specific historical periods and cultural/geographic regions, building on the global survey from the core curriculum with focused scholarly depth.

Renaissance & Baroque European Art: European Paintings: From Leonardo to Rembrandt to Goya (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid / edX) - A free structured course covering leading European painters from 1400 to 1800, including Leonardo, Caravaggio, Velázquez, Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Goya.

Renaissance & Baroque European Art: European Paintings Video Lectures (UC3M / YouTube) - The complete 41-video lecture series from the edX course, freely available for those who prefer direct video access.

Modern Art (1880-1960): Modern Art & Ideas (The Museum of Modern Art / Coursera) - A free MoMA course designed for lifelong learners, examining modern art through four themes: Places, Identity, Society, and Transforming Everyday Objects.

Contemporary Art: What Is Contemporary Art? (The Museum of Modern Art / Coursera) - A free course surveying art from the past three decades through the eyes of artists, curators, and MoMA educators, covering 70+ artworks from around the world.

Asian Art Traditions: Art of Asia (Khan Academy / Smarthistory) - A free comprehensive survey of Asian art organized by region and period, covering South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Himalayas with scholarly essays and videos.

Asian Art Traditions: Smarthistory: Asia - Free scholarly essays and videos covering the art of Asia from the Indus Valley to contemporary practice, organized by region and theme.

Islamic Art & Architecture: Islamic Art 101 (Aga Khan Museum) - A free introductory course covering the major themes and media of Islamic art, including calligraphy, manuscript painting, ceramics, and architecture.

Critical Theory & Advanced Methodologies

Theoretical frameworks that shape contemporary art historical scholarship, including postcolonial, feminist, and visual culture approaches that go beyond the core methods curriculum.

Postcolonial Approaches: Orientalism by Edward W. Said (Monoskop) - The foundational text of postcolonial theory that transformed how art historians approach the representation of the "East" in Western art; freely available as a PDF.

Feminist Art History: Vision and Difference: Femininity, Feminism and the Histories of Art by Griselda Pollock (Internet Archive) - A landmark work that introduced feminist cultural theory into art history, offering concrete historical analyses of the sexual politics at the heart of modernist art.

Visual Culture Studies: Theories and Methods: Visual Culture Module (MIT OpenCourseWare) - Free course materials from MIT covering visual culture theory, including readings by Nicholas Mirzoeff, W.J.T. Mitchell, and others who defined the field.

Modernism and Postmodernism: Art Since 1900: Modernism, Antimodernism, Postmodernism by Hal Foster, Rosalind Krauss, Yve-Alain Bois, and Benjamin Buchloh - The most comprehensive academic textbook on 20th-century art, structured around four methodological essays (psychoanalysis, social history of art, formalism, and poststructuralism) and detailed analyses of 100+ key works.

Museum & Curatorial Studies

The theory and practice of museums as institutions, including curatorial methods, collections management, and the ethical frameworks governing the display and stewardship of cultural objects.

Museum Theory & the Public Sphere: Civilizing Rituals: Inside Public Art Museums by Carol Duncan (Internet Archive) - A foundational text in museum studies that analyzes art museums as ritual sites, examining how museum spaces communicate social values and construct civic identity.

Collections & Curation Practice: Tangible Things: Discovering History Through Artworks, Artifacts, Scientific Specimens, and the Stuff Around You (HarvardX / edX) - A free Harvard course that teaches museum-style object analysis using Harvard's collections, covering how to organize, interpret, and display material culture.

Art and Visual Culture: Art and Visual Culture: Medieval to Modern (The Open University / OpenLearn) - A free Open University course examining changing perceptions of art across history, the relationship between art and visual culture, and the impact of globalization.

Museum Ethics: ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums (International Council of Museums) - The international standard for museum ethics, covering acquisition, display, repatriation, and professional conduct; essential reference for understanding contemporary museum practice.

Conservation & Technical Art History

The scientific and material study of art objects — how they were made, how they deteriorate, and how they are preserved — bridging art history with materials science and chemistry.

Introduction to Conservation: Creating & Conserving (Khan Academy / Smarthistory) - A free course covering how artworks were made, the science of their materials, and what museum conservators do, with videos on techniques from Greek ceramics to modern oil painting.

Conservation & Restoration: Smarthistory: Conservation and Restoration - Free scholarly essays and videos explaining conservation practice, restoration ethics, and behind-the-scenes looks at conservation labs in major museums.

Technical Studies in Conservation: Kress Program in Painting Conservation (Conservation Center, Institute of Fine Arts, NYU) - A free archive of conservation reports, technical studies, and treatment documentation for over 220 Old Master paintings, offering real-world case studies in technical art history.

Museum Conservation Research: Museum Conservation Institute (Smithsonian Institution) - Free technical resources, research reports, and guidelines from the Smithsonian's center for collections research and conservation, covering scientific analysis methods and preservation standards.